The Last Meeting
by dull.moonlight
Summary: Sirius and Regulus have a brotherly chat which they believe will be their last encounter. Oneshot: nothing more, nothing less.


**The Last Meeting**

The Hogwarts Express pulled into the station with a loud screech of the breaks. Regulus Black grabbed his trunk and opened the door to his compartment. "See you later, guys," he said, dragging the trunk into the corridor. Of course, some of the people in that compartment he wouldn't be seeing later. Some of them might come back to his life in a few years as followers of the Dark Lord, but he probably wouldn't speak to them. He had just graduated from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and he wouldn't have a lot of time to visit his old friends over the summer. The only person in the compartment that he would be sure to see was Narcissa, his cousin. In fact, he would talk to her in just a matter of months; the Blacks were having a family reunion soon.

Regulus ran his hand through his hair as he inched along the train corridor. He was sure his brother wouldn't be there. Their parents had disowned Sirius a few years ago and there were very bitter feelings toward each other. Regulus had always felt a bit torn between them. He wanted to be loyal to his parents, but Sirius had always been nice to him when they were alone. He couldn't easily forget his childhood hero, could he? Actually, Regulus was always reminded of Sirius when he looked in a mirror: they had really grown up to look a lot like each other. Black hair, like a raven's glossy feathers, and gray eyes were shared by the brothers. Sirius was tall whereas Regulus was at least a head shorter than he was. They dressed differently, too. Regulus had always obeyed his parents when they told him to be neat. When at Hogwarts, Sirius had often been seen with his school robes half hanging off his arms. Still, they shared so many traits that it was hard to forget about him. _No matter_, Regulus thought, _I'll probably never see him again anyway._

Stepping off the train, Regulus looked around. He knew that his parents weren't coming for him, but he thought that he might see his other cousin, Bellatrix, or her parents. For awhile he had no luck in finding anyone he knew. "Regulus!" someone yelled from behind him. Regulus turned around and was genuinely surprised. "Regulus," Sirius said again, a bit softer. A taller but otherwise splitting image of him looked at Regulus. For awhile the brothers just looked at each other, shifting uncomfortably every now and then.

"How are you, Sirius?" Regulus finally said, breaking the silence.

"Better," he said. "Tired, but... Well, I'm away from the house and I have a place of my own."

"I know." Sirius frowned slightly. "Uncle Alfred's been blasted off of the tapestry," Regulus quickly added. Sirius gave a sound of slight regret, but didn't say anything else. They slipped into silence again, as they were lost in their own thoughts. Regulus shuffled his feet, trying to think of what to say. That is, he was trying to put in to words a question that would tackle two very pressing matters at once. There had been so much that he'd wanted to tell his brother for years. The comments had ranged through many emotions including love, hate, and a very childish feeling of betrayal. He'd promised himself that he would try to find Sirius after school and talk to him. The only problem was that his brother had found him first, and he hadn't had time to prepare everything he'd say. "Er... Sirius? Why are you here, and where have you been for the last two years?" he finally asked.

Sirius didn't answer right away. A person waved to him, and he acknowledged them briefly. He'd always been popular in school, and since he had only been out of school for two years it was probable that he still knew some students. He turned his attention back to Regulus. "I... I came to see what you were going to do about our parents. You just graduated from your seventh year, right?" Regulus nodded. "That's what I thought. I figured I would find you here. I knew our parents wouldn't come for you since you know how to apparate, so I came to check up on you. I wasn't ready to go back to _that_ house, and I don't want to see _them_. So... you're going to be a good little boy and obey our parents like always, aren't you?"

Regulus knew that he was referring to the Dark Lord. Sirius wanted to know if he was going to support You-Know-Who, if he was going to become a Death Eater. Regulus looked around quickly and nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, I guess I am," he finally answered. A shadow of disappointment covered Sirius's face. "I mean... That is, I didn't really have a choice like you did. If I left, I'm sure Mother would die out of disappointment. Even if you don't like her I'm sure you can understand my feelings."

"You had a choice," Sirius said, now sounding dark. "Just because Mum and Dad have had your whole life mapped out for you since you were three doesn't mean you should let them control your life. Despite the rubbish they've planted into your mind, you had a choice and Mum would have been fine. She didn't seem too sad when I left, did she?"

"Well, no, but _you're_... Er, that is, you weren't one of their favorites, were you?" Regulus made a mental note to smack himself later. He didn't want it to come out that way, but it was a curse of his to say the wrong things at exactly the wrong time. "I didn't mean it like that, though. Oh, and it's Mother and Father, not Mum and Dad. You know that."

Sirius snorted. "I call them whatever the hell I want to call them. If they don't like it, tell them to come and do something about it!" After that rather loud comment he seemed slightly downhearted. "Regulus, I don't want to get mad at you right now. I just wanted you to know that if anything goes wrong... if you have a change of heart... Just, you can find me, and I won't bother you about it." Regulus just looked at his brother, shocked. Sirius had always given him ideas of what to do if he didn't want to choose the path their parents had chosen for him, but he'd never been that straightforward.

"Sirius? Do you ever miss it? Do you ever miss our childhood, when you were still their favorite? I mean, have you ever thought about coming back and keeping up our tradition?"

The pause was very short. "No. Maybe, at first... In my first year, when things were really bad, and maybe I've thought about what could have happened, but I would never want to go back. I've already seen the difference between my old life and the life I have now. I'm a lot happier. Sometimes I just wish you would realize how happy you could be, too."

Regulus ignored the last comment, and searched for a different subject. "So?" he inquired. "You still haven't told me where you've been for the last two years. Is life hard once you're our of Hogwarts?"

For the first time in a long time, he saw Sirius smile because of him. "Well, I won't lie and say that it's easier than the N.E.W.T.s, or, for that matter, studying for them. I'm sure it'll be easier in some ways for you. You'll have loads of money from Mum and Dad, but then, you'll have trouble in other areas. Have you decided what you're going to do after Hogwarts? I mean, for a career..."

"I thought about teaching. Defense Against the Dark Arts, or Charms," Regulus mentioned. "Of course, Mother and Father said that the D.A.D.A. would not be a suitable subject for me to teach. They said that it would seem disloyal."

"Well, they have something there. It's a bit hypocritical, don't you think?" Sirius shook his head, and grinned. Regulus had never known him so happy before. Maybe he really was on the right track? Maybe the 'blood traitors' knew what they were talking about? Regulus would never mention it out loud, though.

He crossed his arms and gave Sirius a joking glare. "You are avoiding my question, Mr. Sirius Black! What have you been doing for the last two years?"

Sirius had an expression that could have been seen on someone who felt like they were in a very surreal environment. They hadn't been this happy with each other since Regulus was eight and Sirius was ten. "I've been training a lot. I've been trying to become an Auror. I want to –" He broke off, looking to his feet. "I mean, I wouldn't... After all, you're my brother and... It's just..."

Regulus knew that his brother wanted to be an Auror, but it was a bit awkward now. "Do what you have to, Sirius, and I'll do what I have to." Regulus couldn't stand another long pause, so he grinned halfheartedly. "I'll tell Snape that you said hello, shall I?"

"Yeah, you tell him that," Sirius said, returning the halfhearted grin. "In fact, give him a nice present from me, would you? Just point your wand at him and say any curse that first comes to mind."

"How mature of you. Don't you think you're a bit old to be flirting with him?"

"Watch it, Reg, I'll turn you in if you aren't careful." His expression changed in a moment and he looked at his watch, frowning. "Look, I have to go. I have a... Well, I have to meet some people in a few minutes. I guess this will be the last time we meet, won't it?"

Regulus bowed his head. "It wasn't long enough." He frowned and looked at his brother for a moment. "You know, even though things were so bad for you at home and even though you had a lot of trouble with the family, I've never really stopped admiring you. I was just too stubborn to admit it two years ago. You were always so strong through all of that, and I don't think I could ever keep my composure the way you did. In Hogwarts you were always so happy, and I always wondered how you could possibly think of anything cheery after some of the things you've gone through. I think I'm going to miss you more than I thought. Goodbye, Sirius."

"See you later, Reg," Sirius muttered, "and for the record, I think you would do fine. You've kept your composure through every hard summer, after all. It wasn't as bad for me as you think. I think, in some respect, it could have been harder on you over everyone else. By now, I've overcome my distaste for your choices, and I wish you luck in anything you decide to do. Anyone can have a change of heart." They shared one more look, and then Sirius broke the eye contact and disapparated. Regulus stared at the empty place his brother had been before he turned around and started dragging his trunk again. Well, maybe he'd see Sirius again one day. After all, as Sirius had said, he could always have a change of heart.

**A/N: I am so happy to be out of my horrid writers' block! As always, I'm happy to be back, and I hope you enjoyed the story. I loved writing it. I have a theory about Regulus being alive and well, but that has very little to do with this FF. The point is, I really do support the R.A.B. is Regulus theory and this sorta sets it up. If you want to know about my theories, I think I'm going to make a website and post the link on my profile. If you want to know what I support, I'm going to make a whole new section for it on my profile soon. But enough of that! Please review for my newest FF! Peace and love, James.**


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